Ok I need an insider post for this or perhaps you can visit hoops hype
on the link below it was actually posted late Friday just above the Jalen Rose
Picture and thread. Of course Hoops Hype does not allow a copy and paste.

Welcome to The Show! On Friday, ESPN.com's NBA reporter Chris Sheridan will log on to chat with you about all the action on the hardcourt ... and all the news and notes off of it. Chris came to ESPN from the Associated Press where he spent the last 10 years as the lead NBA writer.
Sheridan's chat tips off at noon ET on Friday so send in your questions now and join him right here for the answers.

Sheridan archives: Columns | Chats

Chris Sheridan: Good afternoon from New York, where nearly a foot of snow fell this morning. What's on people's minds today?

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David Roseville, CA: Why specifically are the Kings struggling?

Chris Sheridan: There are plenty of reasons, but you have to start by lookin at Peja Stojakovic and asking why he's had such a dropoff this season. He looked great in the first half against the rockets last night, then was invisible in the fourth quarter except for his airball. The Kings didn't run any plays or set any screens for him. Another big problem is their lack of a low-post presence. When they had Webber, opposing teams had to defend closer to the basket. Now that he's gone, they can move out a little and bother Sacramento's shooters more.

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Logan (Los Angeles): The Suns are once again shocking everyone in the NBA. Do you think they have legitimate candidates for MVP (Nash), COTY, and Most improved player (Diaw)? You cannot tell me anyone in the NBA is more improved than a guy who went from the bench on the Hawks to a near triple-double every night.

Chris Sheridan: It's hard to fathom the idea of Nash being a repeat MVP, but he's certainly looking worthy of serious consideration with the way he's kept the team playing a high-tempo, high-scoring game. They're averaging almost 106 points, and no one else is averaging 102. As for Diaw, his numbers are phenomenal. Goes to show what you can get when you put the right kind of player in the right knd of situation. In Atlanta, Boris tried to do what he could with his 12 minutes per night, which simply wasn't enough time for him to contribute what he brings. Nash has helped bring out the best in Boris, and so has coach D'Antoni.

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Dennis (Syracuse, NY): Do you consider the upcoming December 25th game between San Antonio and Detroit to be the most important game of the season so far?

Chris Sheridan: Pretty hard to single out any single game as bein ultra-important in an 82-game schedule, but this will be a good measurin stick game for a pair of clubs that have shown themselves to be the class of each conference.

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Dan (NY, NY): Chris, Are there any reasonable moves the Knicks can make to shore up the 3 spot + maybe acquire a "Larry Brown type" back-up point or is Isiah better off just sticking with the roster he has and hoping LB settles on a rotation that works?

Chris Sheridan: They're in the market for a 3, in large part bcause LB doesn't seem to be too sold on what Trevor Ariza brings. They can make two playing a lot of three guard alignments mixing and matching Stephon, Robinson, Crawford and Richardson, and LB has even been weaving Penny into the mix a little bit on the current trip. I don't see them making any moves until 30 games have passed, unless they can find someone willing to give them something decent for Jerome James after Dec. 15 when he becomes trade eligible.

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Fernando (Brasil): So, who are your picks to play for Team USA? At least eight, please!

Chris Sheridan: Wade and LeBron in the backcourt, a front line of Bosh, Jermaine O'Neal and Bruce Bowen (so he can defend Manu in the gold medal game), with Michael Redd, Marcus Camby and Tayshaun Prince among the reserves.

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Goldberg (Atl): Yo Sheridan, you da man! Does Tskitishvili deserve some burn? I mean, the guy is backup to one of the best players to ever play the game! KG needs to slap the guy upside the head for complaining while the team is overachieving.

Chris Sheridan: I'd think the Wolves would try to accomodate Skita, who hasn't played all season after signing as a free agent. But who would give them much of anything? The guy shot less than 30 percent in two of his first three seasons and has never shown himself to be anything more than one of the worst lottery picks in history.

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Josh (Grand Rapids): Will the Pistons have 3 players to make the All-Star team this year with Billups, Wallace And Hamilton? Billups and Wallace should be a given.

Chris Sheridan: Why do people assume they should be or will be limited to two? I saw someone ask a similar question of Stein the other day. Rip is averaging almost 22 points and shooting 51 percent from the field, so he you could argue that he deserves it ahead of Sheed or Chauncey. If the Pistons keep winning at this rate, I can't see any fewer than three of them going to All-Star Weekend in Houston.

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C.C. (Bay Point, CA): Who do you think is the most flashy point guard in the league? Baron or Nash?

Chris Sheridan: Different guys bring different levels and styles of flash, but there's no one quite like Nash. One guy bringing an awful lot of flash this season is Milwaukee's T.J. Ford, and if your idea of flash is one-handed passing, you really need to check out Toronto rookie Jose Calderon.

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Matt (Denver): Do you think Melo has a real shot to be on the US team, especially after what happened at the Olympics last year?

Chris Sheridan: Carmelo was one of the first players Jerry Colangelo spoke to abou playing for the U.S. team, so obviously Jerry does not believe Carmelo was a big part of the problem in Athens. I'd like to be a fly on the wall Jan. 14 in Phoenix when LeBron James and the Cavs come to town and LBJ has his sitdown with Jerry. LeBron had a bit of an entourage in Greece, and Colangelo has already said there will be no entourages coming with the 2006 team to the Far East.

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Tayshawn NY,NY: Where would you rate Dallas on a scale from 1-10?

Chris Sheridan: I give the city itself a 5, the Mavs an 8.

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Craig (Detroit, MI): Bowen at the Olympics? You have lost all credibility! He'll be 50 by 2008!

Chris Sheridan: Not the Olympics, Craig, the World Championship next summer in Japan. And in all seriousness, don't you think the Americans should consider having a designated defender type who could shut down the best player on opposing teams? Bowen could guard Ginobili in a US-Argentina game, Diaw or perhaps even Parker in a France-US game. They need specialists and role players, not to mention shooters.

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Jon (SF, CA): Yo, Chris. If team USA needs intensity and defense, why not look at a guy like Alonzo Mourning. He's got the International experience, and he'd be a great influence on the younger guys.

Chris Sheridan: Even if Zo's health wasn't an issue, his situation is similar to that of many of the best older players around the league: He's already done it, winning a gold medal in Sydney in 2000, and he probably does not want to sacrifice a hefty portion of another summer to playing for the national team. One of the few esceptions to that rule is Shawn Marion, who will probably be on the 2006 team if he wants to.

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Preston (Shreveport: Watching Houston last night, they look like 2 completely different teams. For some stretches their horrible then others, they look like the best team in the league. Why cant they play like the latter more consistently?

Chris Sheridan: Because Tracy McGrady is still working himself back into the mix after missing a lot of time with his back problem. Let's let them get to the 40-game mark (if Tracy's back stays pain-free enough to allow him to keep playing) and see where they are. I get the feeling they'll shake off their bad start and recover by midseason.

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Robbie (Chicago): Hey Chris what bout Ron Artest to be the shut down defender. He would really cause headaches for the other teams!

Chris Sheridan: I believe Ron Artest might be too much of a loose cannon for USA Basketball's liking, but personally I'd like to see him on the team. It would certainly keep things interesting.

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MIDLAND MI: WHAT MAKES THE PISTONS SO GOOD,AND DO YOU SEE A TRADE IN THE FUTURE

Chris Sheridan: The starting five has more size, talent and cohesion than any other team in the league, and they've been invigorated by the departure of Larry Brown and the arrival of the more laid back Flip Saunders. I don't see them making any deals unless they can get something of value for Darko, which seems unlikely.

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Derek (Fort Worth, Tx): I know it's to early, but if Indiana plays like they are now in Jan and/or Feb do you think that they will trade O'Neal or Artest? and if so who would you trade for?

Chris Sheridan: I think Indiana is almost ready to shake things up, but they'd never trade O'Neal and probably wouldn't deal Artest unless they were bowled over by an offer. They were willing to move Croshere and Foster for Magliore, and I could see them moving either or both of those guys. Looks like Reggie Miller was onto something early this season when he brought up the Pacers' chemistry problems.

Chris Sheridan: That team might be better than and team Coach K and Jerry Colangelo can put together.

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Irving (Sacto): Rumors have been floated here that a couple of teams may be interested in Peja. One says the Bulls may offer Deng and Nocioni, another is the old Artest deal with Indiana. Is any of this close to true?

Chris Sheridan: Can't fathom the Bulls offering both Deng and Nocioni, but I could see them offering Deng and Tim Thomas and taking back Williamson to make the salaries match.

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King -NJ: Hello Chris, Please answer some questions for Nets fans. What do think they should do to start playing good basketball again? I suggest trading Marc Jackson for Al Harrington. What do you think?

Chris Sheridan: King, you can't trade Marc Jackson for Al Harrington. The trade commodities New Jersey has and is willing to move include Zoran Planinic and two No. 1 picks (their own and the Clippers').

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Chad (Pittsburg, CA): Other than Kobe, who has been Mr. Clutch so far this season, Fisher or Mo Williams?

Chris Sheridan: I'll give the nod to Mo.

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Eno (Jersey City): Wouldn't you fire Billy Knight before Woodson? He's the one that put together a team full of swingmen without a point guard!

Chris Sheridan: Billy Knight is a holdover from the days before the current ownership group purchased the team, but he aligned himself strongly with the anti-Belkin faction when the Hawks had their internal feud over the Joe Johnson deal last summer. The owners are clearly unhappy, but by firing Knight they'd practically be conceding that Belkin might have been right when he opposed the Johnson deal (Diaw and two No. 1s to Phoenix). So I think if someone goes, it's Woodson.

Chris Sheridan: Thatks for coming by to chat, folks. We'll do it again next Friday.

12-10-2005, 05:44 PM

Frank Slade

Re: Insider Request :Trade speculation

Quote:

Chris Sheridan: I think Indiana is almost ready to shake things up, but they'd never trade O'Neal and probably wouldn't deal Artest unless they were bowled over by an offer. They were willing to move Croshere and Foster for Magliore, and I could see them moving either or both of those guys. Looks like Reggie Miller was onto something early this season when he brought up the Pacers' chemistry problems.